Benefits of a Morning Routine

Everyone wishes that they had more time to get everything done. You might wish you could get to work on time without rushing or that your life didn’t feel so scattered and out of your control. Having a morning routine can change all of these things for the better. Creating a morning routine for yourself is a great way to make sure the things that need to get done get done, and to feel more relaxed and accomplished.

You Won’t Have to Think as Much

Many of us spend a lot of time trying to figure out what we should be doing and when. We are not sure which things should be done first, or how to do them in the most efficient manner. Having a morning routine eliminates part of this problem first thing because you don’t have to think about what you need to do. You get up, you eat breakfast, you watch a bit of television or check your email, then you get started on your daily tasks. If you have a set routine, you always know what to do and in what order to do it.

You will Get More Things Done

Getting up with no plan can derail the whole day from the start. You will get more things accomplished if you have a routine, because you will know that you have set aside time for everything you need to do. Many people get up late and rush to work, but if you come up with a routine, you will have more time to get things finished around the house before you leave. This will help you be more productive, not just at home, but at work as well.

A Morning Routine Keeps you Organized

Organization is key to keeping stress levels low and efficiency levels high. Waking up at no specific time without any plan is a great way to make yourself grumpy and disorganized all day. Having a set time to wake up, eat breakfast, shower, and so on keeps you on track and lowers stress levels for everyone in your house. Many of the most successful men and women attribute their success to being organized right off the bat. If it works for them, it will surely work for you too!

Feel More “In Control”

In this day and age, anxiety and depression have skyrocketed. People don’t feel like they have enough control over their lives, and this makes them unhappy. Simply starting a morning routine, however, can make a huge difference. Feeling that you are in control of something — even a small thing, like the time you wake up or eat breakfast — can go a long way toward making you feel more empowered and in control.

You Won’t Forget Anything

Have you ever rushed off to work only to realize you forgot to shower? Or forgotten to let the dog out to do his morning business? Having a morning routine will keep these things from happening because you will grow used to doing certain things in a certain order at a certain time. With a morning routine, you won’t be late, you won’t be smelly, and poor Rover will have had plenty of time to get his morning business done before you head off to work. Everyone wins!

How to Start a Morning Routine: Choose a Wake-up Time

The first step of a morning routine is choosing what time you want to wake up each day. According to experts, it is best to wake up at the same time every day, so your body gets used to this habit. Set your alarm for a time that will give you enough sleep, but also give you enough time to do the rest of the things you need to do. Then — and this is the hardest part for some folks — don’t press the snooze button!

Prioritize

Chances are some things are more important in the morning than others. Eating breakfast, for example, is more important than catching up on the latest Instagram posts, so schedule time for breakfast and leave the scrolling for later, when you have more time. Write down the most important things you need to get done each morning, and do those first. Then, if you have some extra time, you can do the not-so-important (but still fun) things like surfing the internet.

Follow Through with Your Plan

The whole point of a morning routine is to alleviate stress, so sticking to it shouldn’t stress you out, but you also shouldn’t let it be just a guideline. A plan is not a plan if you don’t really follow it. It is important to stick with your morning routine after you determine it. You might not always feel like waking up at 7:00 a.m., but you should do it anyway, especially if you got enough sleep but just feel sluggish. It might be tough at the beginning, but in the end, the benefits far outweigh the sleepiness you might feel.

Change Your Plan if Necessary

Not every plan works without a hitch. You might come up with a morning routine, only to find that it doesn’t give you enough time to get everything done, or that it just doesn’t work for you and your schedule. If this happens, just adjust your ideas and come up with a new, better morning routine. You can always alter your routines, and it might take some time to find one that works for you. Feel free to experiment until you find the best way to do things.

Don’t Be Upset if Your Routine Gets Off

Though you should do your best to stick to your routine, the most important rule could be to avoid getting stressed if every morning doesn’t go according to plan. Things happen: alarm clocks malfunction, kids get sick, you have to go in early to work. If one day your morning routine is off, don’t let it get you down — and definitely don’t throw it out. Just try again the next morning!